She was about to cross into Tibet for a long-awaited pilgrimage - then her messages stopped

Sudipto Bhattacharya received the final message from his wife, Subhrasree Chakraborty, early on Wednesday. It contained a photo of her passport with a departure stamp, indicating she had cleared immigration at the Nepal border. "We are waiting to enter China," she wrote at 07:57 (02:27 GMT). Six minutes later, at 08:03 local time, the messages ceased.

Subhrasree, 43, and her group were poised to cross into Tibet for the next leg of their pilgrimage to Mount Kailash, the sacred Himalayan abode of the Hindu deity Shiva, a destination Subhrasree had yearned to visit for years. She is now among at least 290 Indians reported missing following deadly flash floods along Nepal's border with Tibet. Many of the unaccounted individuals were on this pilgrimage, which had resumed last year after interruptions from the pandemic and then India-China tensions. Thousands of Indians undertake this journey to Mount Kailash annually.

Subhrasree was traveling without her family, as part of a group of approximately 30 people. A medical technologist specializing in critical care at a city hospital, Subhrasree was accustomed to emergencies, proficient in CPR and intensive-care procedures, and, according to her husband, physically fit. Yet, none of this has provided Sudipto Bhattacharya any insight into what transpired after that last message. "After 08:03am, what happened? We don't know anything," he stated.

Subhrasree had anticipated this journey for years. Photographs she sent from Kathmandu just days before her disappearance captured her excitement. In one, she smiles gently at the camera in a blue tunic within an ornate temple courtyard. In others, she is clad in red, posing amidst the ancient brick and carved wood architecture of Kathmandu valley's historic Durbar Square. She described the countryside as beautiful to her husband. "She was very excited," said Bhattacharya, a government officer. "This was her dream tour."

The journey commenced on Friday, August 21. She took the Mithila Express from Kolkata, arriving in Raxaul on August 22. From there, she crossed into Birgunj and traveled by bus to Kathmandu, arriving that night. She spent three nights sightseeing in Kathmandu. On the morning of August 25, the group departed Kathmandu by bus for Syabrubesi, a small mountain settlement roughly 122km north of Kathmandu and a gateway to the Langtang trekking region. The journey, lasting almost 12 hours, was not entirely smooth. A landslide obstructed their path for about four hours before the army cleared the road. However, when Subhrasree spoke to her husband, she mentioned clear skies. There was little indication of the impending disaster. "She kept saying the weather was good," he recalled. "She said it was rather warm, it was raining sometimes."

The following morning, August 26, Subhrasree left her hotel shortly after 7 am. Bhattacharya spoke with her on the phone, and they continued messaging afterward. About an hour later, she informed him that Nepal immigration formalities were complete and the group was awaiting entry into Tibet. After clearing Nepal immigration, pilgrims typically cross the border on foot to the Chinese immigration facility in Gyirong. Bhattacharya believes his wife may have been inside or near the Chinese immigration building when the disaster struck. Then, the connection was lost. "I knew there would be connectivity issues on the Tibet side," he said. "So I waited for the next message."

Around 3 pm, he saw media reports of the floods. He began calling pilgrims in her group, but no one answered. He then tried the tour operator and the two managers accompanying the group, again without success. The family has had no contact from Subhrasree since. "Have they been rescued? Was this group among those rescued in China?" Bhattacharya questioned. "We want to know more." He believes his wife and the others might have already crossed into Chinese territory before the floods hit, but he has received no confirmation of who made it across or their subsequent fate. "Please get me a list from the Chinese government," he pleaded. "Missing, dead and rescued. We need an update." He then admitted the agony of waiting: "What do I tell you? Sleepless nights, working on the phone."

More than 48 hours after flash floods devastated the Himalayan border region, the death toll has risen to 475. For the family of 54-year-old Rina Banerjee, there is even greater uncertainty. They do not know which side of the border she was on when contact was lost. Rina, an unmarried private tutor from Kolkata, was traveling alone with a tour operator as part of the same pilgrimage group. Her journey had appeared to be progressing smoothly. Her nephew, Dwaipayan Mukherjee, said the family had video called her while she was in Kathmandu. "She was happy," he said. "She was doing a trip after a long time."

Rina was familiar with mountains, having traveled in hills before and gone hiking with her family. "She was quite fit," Mukherjee stated. "We have gone hiking. We are used to going to the mountains." She had mentioned the landslide they encountered the previous day, which had stranded the group for about four hours. The next morning, the tour operator sent a group photograph showing Rina outside the Nepal immigration center. Like Subhrasree, she had received her departure stamp, Mukherjee confirmed. Then came the silence. "I don't know whether they crossed the border or not," Mukherjee said. "Whether they were on the Chinese side or the Nepal side, we are still wondering."

For Subhrasree, the two-week tour was to be her first pilgrimage and a long-cherished dream. Rina, too, had long desired to make the journey and was no stranger to the mountains. Both women shared what Bhattacharya described as a "wanderlust"—a love for travel, discovery, and, in their case, venturing into the mountains. Both had joined a group for what was meant to be a once-in-a-lifetime pilgrimage. Both appeared to have cleared Nepal immigration, and both were believed to have crossed the border. However, this offers little clarity; their families still have no idea where they are or if they are safe. The Kolkata-based tour operator states they have no information about the group's fate yet. For both families, the journey has concluded with the same unanswered question: did the women make it across the border?